1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a male terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,884 discloses a male terminal fitting with a tubular main body with a long and narrow plate-like tab projecting forward from the main body portion. The tab contacts a mating female terminal to be electrically conductively connected. The base end of the tab is coupled to the front end of the main body. The tab may bend about the coupling of the tab to the main body if an excessive external force (load) acts on the tab.
A large cross-sectional area is required at the coupling of the tab and the main body so that the tab is not sheared or bent when an external force acts on the tab in the plate thickness direction. However, increasing the cross-sectional area by increasing a plate thickness increases cost and leads to an unfavorable weight increase.
The invention aims to provide a male terminal fitting that can suppress deformation of a tab without increasing a plate thickness.